Telltale boss compares adventure game fans to wine aficionados

Some of us want to discuss the fragrant floral notes and cigar box overtones, and some of us just want something to put in our faces. That’s the divide between general gamers and adventure fans right there, according to Telltale CEO Dan Connors.

Speaking to Siliconera, Connors said traditional adventure games evolved to the point of inaccessibility.

“I think the problem with adventure games is if you don’t understand how they work, and you’re playing one for the first time, and it’s built for an adventure gamer, you’re not gonna get past the first puzzle because it never even occurs to you to think that way,” he said.

Unfortunately, if that first puzzle is targeted at non-adventure fans, the niche audience of experts isn’t going to be impressed.

“It has become an elite club in a way, and there’s almost a look down upon new people trying to come in,” Connors added.

“Adventure games are like good wine. It’s like, high-end, quality stuff that people who understand it, want it to be sophisticated. And that’s a struggle.”

But it’s a struggle Telltale is rising to meet, and one that grows easier as games become more mainstream.

“The thing is now, everybody has experience with games. There was a time when navigating a menu kept people from playing games,” he said.

“Now there’s more people that are past that hurdle. The number of people you can talk to has moved from 18-34 year old men to 7-years-old to 60-years-old all have experience with games.”

Telltale’s most recent releases include The Walking Dead, Jurassic Park and Back to the Future, all of which are delivered episodically via digital distribution and take a more cinematic approach to adventure gaming. This strategy seems to be working.

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